Day 1: Wheels Down and Exploring Reykjavik

Airport

Overall, check-in and boarding at Detroit Metro went smoothly—minus a hiccup at the self-service kiosks, which clearly weren’t up to the task of scanning our passports. We ditched them and headed for the human line instead.

At check-in, we had an unusual interaction with the Delta agent. She insisted I help Jen with her bag (which Jen was already handling just fine), then told the kids they should be grateful for such a nice trip—and promptly asked them to load the rest of our bags. The message was well-intentioned, but it came across a little… authoritative. Definitely memorable.

Mikah and I taking pictures of each other at the airport

I choose to fly with Delta mostly because they had the best price at the time I booked - just $470 roundtrip.  Typically, the prices were in the $600-$700 range in the summer.  One bonus to flying with Delta was that we each got a free checked bag which I don't think was the case for the more commonly used (and generally cheaper) Icelandic Air.  Delta also included a free meal with a free drink, alcoholic even.  As someone who has been flying Spirit and Allegiant a lot lately, this felt luxurious.

Our overnight flight was a quick six-hour hop—leaving Detroit at 8:25 p.m. Tuesday and landing in Iceland at 6:20 a.m. local time (2:20 a.m. back home). Just long enough to try to sleep… which is to say, not really.

It was kind of cool to follow the flight path and watch as we passed over both Canada and Greenland.  Mikah and Ryan looked out the window mid-flight and got a good view of Greenland while I was getting a good view of my eyelids.  We arrived at Keflavik Airport pretty much on time. 

Greenland glaciers from above.

Car Rental

Bleary-eyed after a long flight, we passed through the duty free and customs without any trouble. We collected our checked bags and then walked out of the terminal toward Blue Car Rentals. 

Lots of people in Iceland travel Facebook groups had recommended Blue Car Rental as being the best in Iceland.  We had reserved a large 8 seater vehicle to accommodate us and all of our bags.  I also bought all of the insurance (which I would normally never do) because many people online had advised about incidents with stones, dings from wind-blown doors, flat tires etc... It was not cheap, costing almost $2,000 in all for the week.

The process to pick up the car seemed simple enough—5 minute walk from the terminal, self check-in at a kiosk, grab the key, and find the car.

At the kiosk, we typed in a special number code and magically a mailbox door popped open where our car keys were held.  

The key showed a license number and what looked like a “7”—meaning the car should be in Lot 7, the farthest lot. We dutifully hauled our bags across multiple lots, even through some gravel only to find no car. Turns out, it was a fancy-font “1.” Lot 1 had been right outside the kiosk. 🤦‍♂️

Iceland: 1, us: 0.

We shrugged it off, and found our car for the week.  It was large white Toyota Land Cruiser, but with our bags in back it just fit us all quite snuggly.  

We piled into the car, and started setting up the Wi-Fi. (Something I had paid extra for) When it didn’t connect, I went back inside where a helpful woman at the desk handed me a portable Wi-Fi device. With that sorted, we were ready to roll, or so I thought.

Apple CarPlay synced up, maps loaded, and we were ready to hit the road—only to be greeted instantly by a loud and persistent alert. The dashboard screen flashed something about the “rear.” I assumed that maybe the back door didn’t latch because of all of our bags, so I looped around the lot again, and Rogan jumped out to slam it shut again.

Back on the road, the alert started again—louder this time. More insistent. I started wondering if the car had some kind of issue… then we realized: Seatbelts are required in the back seat in Iceland. Rogan didn’t have his seatbelt on. 🤦‍♂️ 

Iceland: 2, us: 0.

We hadn't even left the airport parking lot yet.  

Apparently, the alerts weren't just for seatbelts.  This car was wired to sense and alarm for everything—minor speed limit infractions (even 1 km over!), my wandering gaze toward Iceland’s dramatic landscape, even the act of scratching my nose would cause an alarm.  

This was the most passive-aggressive car I’ve ever driven. It would beep relentlessly, flashing messages like: “Sit up,” “Need a break? ☕️,” and “Inattentive Driver” 

I got used to ignoring it… but it never stopped judging me. 

Welcome to high-tech driving in Iceland.

Iceland - First Impressions

The airport in Keflavik is about 45 minutes from the capital city of Reykjavik.  The terrain difference from home was striking.  Toward the coast there were vast fields of volcanic rock often covered with moss that gave the terrain an alien planet-like feel.  To the center of the island are massive mountains and volcanos, some of them snow covered.  

Driving in Iceland was pretty simple as they drive on the right side of the road and generally use similar and easy to understand signage compared to the US. Speeds there though are very slow.  The fastest you drive there is 90 km per hour which is only about 55 mph.  

The route from Keflavik airport to Reykjavik

How do you say that again?

While the Icelandic people speak excellent English, for me, one of the trickiest aspects of traveling in Iceland was the names of things are often extremely long and hard to pronounce (and thus remember).  Some words even use letters that aren't part of our English alphabet such as œ or Þ so you can't even use phonetics to sound it out.

 For example, at one point we stayed in the city of: Kirkjubæjarklaustur. I challenge you to try to pronounce that. (Compare your effort to this correct pronunciation) 

This was their road sign where its name was so long they had to leave off the last six letters!

We made our way into Reykjavík and cruised through the downtown area along the coast. After finding a spot to park on the street, we strolled through the colorful streets and ducked into a cozy little coffee shop. A round of tea, coffee, and hot chocolate, plus a few small bites, was just what we needed to reset.

A cool viking boat sculpture along the northern coast of Reykjavik

The downtown of Reykjavik is very walkable and felt very safe.  The population of Reykjavik is small - only about 139,000 people.  That's about half of the size of Toledo and this contains about 1/3 of the country's entire population.  

Before we go further, here are ten fun facts about Reykjavik and Iceland in general:

1.  Reykjavik is the northernmost capital city in the world.

2.  Reykjavík means “Smoky Bay." The name comes from the steam that early Norse settlers saw rising from the area’s geothermal hot springs. It’s smoke from the earth, not fire!

3. There are no McDonald’s in the entire country. Iceland had McDonald’s for a brief period in the 1990s, but the last one closed in 2009. Reykjavík’s food scene is proudly local, with lots of cozy cafés and unique Icelandic fare. We did notice some Subways around the country though.

4.  It runs almost entirely on renewable energy. The city is powered by geothermal and hydroelectric energy, making it one of the greenest capitals in the world. Even the sidewalks in some areas are heated!

5. Reykjavík has more books and music than traffic. The city has one of the highest rates of book publishing per capita in the world. It’s also a music hotspot—birthplace of artists like Björk, Sigur Rós, and Of Monsters and Men.

6. Colorful rooftops and no skyscrapers. Reykjavík has a charming look—brightly colored buildings, no high-rises (zoning laws limit height), and incredible views of surrounding mountains and the sea.

7. You can see puffins and whales—right from the harbor. Whale-watching tours leave right from the old harbor, and nearby cliffs are home to puffins in the summer.

8. Street art is everywhere. From large-scale murals to quirky designs on utility boxes, Reykjavík’s downtown is practically an outdoor art gallery. It’s all part of the city’s creative, youthful vibe.

9. The city embraces the midnight sun and polar nights. In summer, the sun barely sets—meaning 24-hour daylight in June. In winter, the long nights bring Northern Lights displays if you’re lucky.

10.  Reykjavík has a penis museum.

Yes, there's a penis museum. The kids couldn’t resist stopping briefly by Iceland’s famed—but surprisingly scholarly—Phallological Museum. 

It’s essentially a serious collection of male anatomical specimens, presented with a straight face and a bit of Icelandic humor. It was a good walk to the museum which helped us familiarize ourselves with the city and included a nice walk along the shoreline.

Map of downtown Reykjavik

Sky Lagoon

At 10:30 it came time for the feature event of the day: the Sky Lagoon. Sky Lagoon is a popular geothermal spa that I thought would be a perfect way to refresh after our long transatlantic flight. 

Above the water: cold mist and gray skies   Below the water: pure hot-tub bliss.  

The experience at Sky Lagoon was everything we’d hoped for and more. Sky Lagoon is famous for its "7 Step Ritual." The 7 steps begin in the warm lagoon waters, overlooking the vast, open ocean. From there, a freezing cold plunge and then a dry sauna with panoramic views of the ocean.  This is followed by a refreshing cold rain mist and then an invigorating salt scrub.  Then came a melt-away session in a hot steam room.  Finally, a shot of a health drink and then back again to the warm lagoon. It was pure, soul-soothing bliss. I would definitely do it again if I went back. Highly recommend.

Touring the City

Refreshed from the Sky Lagoon, we returned to tour the city a bit more before we checked in to our AirBnB. Reykjiavik is famous for their colorful shops and rainbow colored downtown street.  

Art and color was very present everywhere in Reykjavik.

 

Here was an unusual mural with Einstein drinking a beer with Tupac. Somehow, these two seemed to go together naturally.

Here was another cool building painted on two sides.

I always make a point to hunt for local rock and fossil shops wherever I travel. I found one in Reykjavík during my research—but when we arrived, it turned out to be more of a “healing crystal” situation. Not exactly my thing.

It later dawned on me: Iceland is geologically very young—only about 20 million years old—and thanks to its volcanic history, fossils are rare. Lesson learned.

We shopped in a few other stores buying some Christmas ornaments and salts and other souvenirs.  

Icelandic Christmas Traditions

While in the Christmas shop, I learned that Iceland has an interesting Christmas tradition. Instead of one Santa Claus, Icelandic folklore gives you 13 Yule Lads (Jólasveinar), each with their own name, personality, and habit of causing mischief.

👣 Here’s how it works:

• The Yule Lads come one by one during the 13 nights leading up to Christmas, starting on December 12.
• Each night, children leave a shoe in the window.
• If they’ve been good, they get a small gift or treat. If not… they might get a rotting potato.

🤪 Meet a Few of the Yule Lads:

Each Lad is known for a particular type of mischief:

• Spoon-Licker (Þvörusleikir) – Steals and licks wooden spoons
• Door-Slammer (Hurðaskellir) – Slams doors at night to annoy people
• Sausage-Swiper (Bjúgnakrækir) – Hides in rafters to steal sausages
• Window-Peeper (Gluggagægir) – Looks through windows (yes, really)
• Meat-Hook (Ketkrókur) – Uses a hook to snatch meat

Lunch

We decided to eat lunch at a family-run spot known for traditional Icelandic fare in a humble, homey setting called Cafe Loki. As expected, the meal was expensive, but tasty. I tried a traditional dish of lamb and potatoes which was tasty.

#1 Ranked Tourist Spot

We also stopped to enjoy the nearby Hallgrímskirkja Church.  The church’s design was inspired by Iceland’s natural geology—those iconic column-like basalt formations you’ll see at places like Svartifoss waterfall. Architecture imitating nature, and pretty effectively. We skipped doing the $10 elevator ride to the top.

Hallgrimskirkja Church - note the resemblance with the waterfall below

Svartifoss Waterfall

Later we enjoyed some Icelandic beers at Lebowski's bar, themed after the cult classic movie, The Big Lebowski.

"That rug really tied the room together, man."

From all of the walking and shopping, we were getting hungry again.  Our first choice was to get one of the famous Icelandic hotdogs.  Ryan had seen a food truck by the church, but by the time we got there they were sold out.  We settled instead on Reykjavik Pizzeria which was close to our AirBnB. This fire baked pizza really hit the spot.

Eventually we made our way back to our AirBnB.  We parked up a hill up the street a ways because it appeared to be free parking.  

As it turned out, a $40 parking ticket later, it wasn't free.

Our lodging for the night

As described, the place was "cozy" (meaning small) but it had enough beds for everyone and a great location right downtown.

It aways looks bigger in the pictures.

The kids squeezed into this room.

To get adjusted to the time change, we all stayed up as late as we could and then went to bed, excited for a big driving day the next day.  

Not a bad first day—gravel dragging, mysterious beeping, hot springs soaking and all.

Read more:

Day 2: 💧 Waterfalls, Puffins, and a Proposal — Oh My! 💍🇮🇸